Last year I had the lovely opportunity to work with Jill and her family for her older sister Heidi’s wedding, so I was very excited to be able to help with Jill’s. Both Matt and Jill come from such warm and welcoming families and getting to work with them was such a pleasure. Matt and Jill’s wedding was so beautiful, even with the hint of rain in the air, their wedding could not have been more perfect. With trees covered in hanging crystals, to Jill’s amazing lace dress, to vows that Matt and Jill wrote, their wedding was so lovingly thought out.

The McKay Tower is going back to its roots. The new owners of the McKay Tower are hiring the tower’s original contractor, Owen-Ames-Kimball Co., to complete the second floor remodeling project that will restore the former Grand Rapids National Bank lobby into a banquet facility.

For more information on renting out the space starting this spring, feel free to contact me.

“The 18-story McKay Tower has been a city landmark since the first two stories were built as the Grand Rapids National Bank in 1916.” To read the full article on the New McKay Tower, go to mLive’s article here.

Time Magazine names Grand Rapids’ Art Prize as One of its Top Five Favorite Festivals Worldwide for 2013.

The front page of the Grand Rapids Press grabbed my attention the morning of January 19 with an article on Art Prize. Time Magazine named Art Prize as one of its favorite festivals worldwide for 2013. In the Travel section of Time Magazine, it listed Art Prize as one of “Five Festive Events You Won’t Want to Miss In 2013.” Alongside Art Prize is an event in Indonesia, one in New Zeeland, and two in Europe. This nod from Time Magazine towards Art Prize and Grand Rapids comes almost two years after Newsweek named Grand Rapids a dying city, although they did retract the statement soon thereafter.

“The world’s most lucrative art competition isn’t in New York City or Hong Kong but in Grand Rapids – a Michigan city better known for Rust Belt decline than edgy painting and photography.” – David Kaufman.